Pneumatic actuating means for metal parts washers



July 3, 1951 c, SHANAMAN 2,559,472

PNEUMATIC ACTUATING MEANS FOR METAL PARTS WASHERS Filed Oct. 30, 1947 3Sheets-sheet 1 FIG. I

INVENTOR.

es B. Sh omon y 3, 1951 c. B. SHANAMAN 2,559,472

PNEUMATIC ACTUATING MEANS FOR METAL PARTS WASHERS FIG. 4

y 1951 c. B. SHANAMAN 2,559,472

PNEUMATIC ACTUATING MEANS FOR METAL PARTS WASHERS Filed Oct. 30, 1947 5Sheets-Sheet 5 3 37. FIG. 6

FIG. 7

2O 24 II M k W V /W/// /.//V// V//////A /J INVENTOR.

Chorl s B. Shunomon Patented July 3, 1951 UNITED STAT-ES PATENT OFFICEPNEUMATIC AC'IQUATING S FOR METAL PARTS WASHERS Charles B. Shanaman,Cl-arksburg, W. Va.

Application October 30, 1947, serial No. 782,983

This invention relates to cleaning devices of the type including abathof cleaning liquid which is to be brought into contact with metalparts to be cleaned, such as automobile parts, machine parts and thelike.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide for theconvenient introduction of the parts to be cleaned and the convenientremoval thereof from the tank or container which contains and houses thecleaning liquid, and to provide for the convenient and effectivedraining of the parts after they have been subjected for a predeterminedperiod of time to the cleaning liquid.

Another object of the invention is to provide for the introduction ofthe parts to be cleaned into the device and to support the parts aboveand out of contact with the cleaning liquid which, according to thepresent invention, is subsequently brought to a level slightly above theparts to be cleaned, and then a turbulence is provided in the cleaningliquid in which the parts are submerged so as to carry away from theparts such portions of the liquid as have become more or less foul bycontact'with the parts to becleaned and 'to bring cleaner portions intocontact with the parts.

As above described, according to the present invention, the level of theoriginal charge of liquid is below the level at which the parts to becleaned are supported, and provision is made for raising the liquid to alevel slightly above the part to be cleaned and to hold it there duringthe cleaning period, and thereafter to lower the level of the liquidbelow the level of the cleaned parts so that the latter may drain whilestill remaining-within the container and in a more or less dry conditionpreparatory to being removed from the device.

According to the present invention, moving parts are dispensed with. Airunder pressure is employed for raising or elevating the level of theoriginal charge of liquid to its cleaning position without addingthereto, and also to provide for the lowering of the liquid at the'endof the cleaning operation and topermit draining of the parts that havebeen cleaned. Also, air under pressure is employed for causingturbulence in the cleaning liquid in the elevated portion thereof so asto circulate the liquid around and in contact with the .parts to becleaned.

With these and other objects in view, the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter morefully described, illustrated in the accompanying 4 Claims. (Cl. 134-94)drawings and pointed out in the appended claims, it, of course, beingunderstood that changes in the form, proportion, size and minor detailsmay be made, within the scope of the claims, without departing from thespirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is an end elevation of the cleaning device of the presentinvention with the lid :01 cover in open position.

Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 3--3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the device with the lid or cover open, themeans for supporting the articles during the cleaning operation andother parts of the device being removed.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view on the line 6-6 of Figure4.

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View on the line l- -l ofFigure 5.

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view illustrating themanner of holding down one end of the tray or support for the parts tobe cleaned during the operation of the device.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, the present device includes atank I of any desired shape and size, here shown as rectangular inshape. The'tank may be supported in a slightly elevated position uponsuitable legs or feet 2 so as to support the bottom of the tank abovethe floor upon which the tank is supported. The top of the tank is openand is provided with a suitable lid or cover 3 which should have such atight fit with the open top of the tank as to prevent the escape ofinflammable gases from the cleaning liquid within the tank.

Within the tank and supported on the bottom thereof there is asubstantially horizontal shelf 4 and in the form of an inverted pan, thedepending longitudinal side walls 5 of which rest upon the bottom of thetank so as to support the shelf part 4 at a suitable elevation above thebottom of the tank. Each depending end Wall 6 of the shelf preferablyterminates short of the bottom of the tank so as to provide passagewaysfor the circulation of cleaning liquid to and from the interior of thepan-like support 4. If desired, the end wall 6 may reach to the bottomof the tank and rest thereon, in which event an opening or openingsshould be provided in the part 6 for the 'circulation of the cleaningliquid as above described.

Resting upon the top of the shelf 4 is a tray 1 consisting of an openrectangular frame in the form of an angle bar as best shown in Figures 3and 8 of the drawings, the horizontal member of the angle bar being bentover upon itself as at 8 to form a substantially U-shaped socket or beadto receive the marginal edges of the body 9 of the tray which is in theform of a screen or reticulated material, the bead portion 8 of theframe being pinched down upon the material 9 so as to hold it in place.

Obviously other forms of the reticulated or perforated screen may beemployed, the important thin being to provide a horizontal screen forthe support of the parts to be cleaned and to permit of the cleaningliquid being moved upwardly through the screen and subsequently draineddownwardly therefrom. One end of the tray is introduced beneath and helddown upon the part 4 by being introduced beneath a pair of brackets orprojections l carried by the adjacent end of the tank. The opposite endof the tray is held down by means of a latch in the form of a bail llpivoted or hinged at its upper side as at l2 in suitable eyes or othermeans secured to the inner face of the adjacent end wall of the tank.The bail II is of a size such that when swung downwardly it willforcibly engage the top face of the tray 9, preferably the angular framethereof, in such a manner as to removably hold the tray down upon theshelf 4. By swinging the bail ll upwardly upon its hinge [2, theadjacent end of the tray will be released and may be elevated and pulledout from beneath the [brackets ll! whenever it is desired to remove thetray. For this manipulation of the tray, there is provided a link handle[3 which is hinged in an eye l4 provided upon the top of the end framebar of the tray 9, and this eye is also employed as a catch or abutmentbehind which the lower cross bar of the bail l I may be forced when thebail is swung downwardly to hold the tray in place. The bail ll 'may, ofcourse, be readily pulled out from behind and in contact with the eye [4whenever it is desired to release the tray 9, but during the operationof the device the bail II will hold the tray firmly in place on top ofthe shelf 4.

An indicated in Figure 3, it will be seen that the normal level i5 ofthe charge of cleaning fluid is slightly below the level of the shelf 4so as to provide an air space between the top of the liquid 5 and theshelf 4 into which air under pressure may be introduced by an upstandingtubular nozzle [6 having its open top above the level of the charge ofcleaning fluid when the device is not in operation for cleaningpurposes. This nozzle is connected by a horizontal pipe ll extendingalong the bottom of the tank to the lower end of an upstanding pipe [8which rises to and has its upper end connected with a horizontallydisposed manifold l9 secured to the inner face of the adjacent end wallof the tank. A suitable supply pipe 20 is provided for connection with asource of air under pressure and in turn is connected to the manifold [9as shown in Figure '7 of the drawings. A suitable hand operated valve 21is provided in the pipe 18 so that air under pressure may be conductedfrom the manifold l9 to the nozzle l6 and into the space between thelevel l5 of the cleaning liquid and the bottom of the shelf 4 wherebythe level of the liquid beneath the shelf 4 may be lowered and theliquid forced out of the pan-like structure 4 and upwardly to a suitablelevel,

such as indicated at 22 above the top of the tray 9 in order that theparts supported on the tray may be covered with the cleaning liquid.Provision is made for exhausting the air pressure from between the shelf4 and the top of the liquid therebeneath through the nozzle l6 and pipeI8, through an exhaust pipe 23 connected to the pipe l8 and to anexhaust chamber 24 in one end of the manifold 19, as well shown inFigures 5 and 7 of the drawings. The pipe 23 is provided with a suitablehand valve 25 for releasin the air pressure as described. When the airpressure is released, the level of the liquid above the tray will fallto a position below the shelf 4, thus permitting draining of the wetparts on the tray without the loss of any cleaning liquid drained fromthe parts and ensuring that the parts will be in a dry condition whenremoved from the tank.

For the purpose of providing a turbulence in that part of the cleaningliquid in which the parts are submerged, there is provided a pluralityof air jets 26, two such jets being shown, but it, of course, beingunderstood that any number of jets may be employed. A specificembodiment of jet has been shown in Figure 6 wherein it will be seenthat the jet consists of a tubular nozzle having an exteriorlyscrew-threaded tubular shank 2'! which is screwed into the metal block28 resting on the bottom of the tank I. The jet is provided with anexternal annular flange 29 at its base and disposed to rest upon the topof the block 28. A substantially U-shaped metal strap or bracket 30embraces the top and opposite sides of the block 28 and is provided withthe flanges 3| which are spot-welded or otherwise secured to the bottomof the tank I. This bracket has an open end 32 in its top through whichthe nozzle 26 projects. As shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, one ofthese nozzles is connected by a horizontal pipe 33 running along thebottom of the tank and connected to the lower end of an upstanding pipe34 which is in turn connected to the bottom of the manifold I9 andcommunicates with a chamber 35 in the manifold so that air underpressure may be conducted from the manifold through the hand operatedValve 36 in pipe 34 and thence to pipe 33 and finally to the jet 26.Similarly, the other jet is connected by a horizontal pipe 31 to thelower end of an upright pipe 38' the upper end of which is connected tothe manifold l9 and communicates with the chamber 35 and is providedwith a hand valve 39 whereby air under pressure may be conducted to theother jet. It will here be explained that the pipe l8 for conducting airunder pressure to the nozzle l6 communicates at its upper end with thechamber 35, and that there is a partition 39 in the manifold so as toseparate the exhaust chamber 24 from the supply chamber 35.

While any preferred form of manifold may be employed, that shown in theaccompanying drawings consists of a solid bar of metal having the supplychamber 35 bored therein from one end and the exhaust chamber 24 boredtherein from the opposite end so as to provide the partition 39separating the two chambers. The exhaust chamber 24 is open at its outerend to the atmosphere, while the outer end of the supply chamber 35 isclosed, as by means of a suitable plug 40.

In the operation of the device, a charge of cleaning liquid is pouredinto the tank until the level thereof is below but near the open top ofthe nozzle [6. The tray 9 is then introduced and held down upon the topof the shelf 4 so as to hold the latter in place against the liftingeffect of the air under pressure introduced between the shelf and thelevel l5 of the liquid. The valve being closed, the valve 2| is open soas to discharge air under pressure through the nozzle l6 and thus lowerthe level H: of the liquid and force liquid upwardly through the tray 9to any suitable level such as indicated at 22, the parts to be cleanedhaving previously been placed upon the tray 9 or they may be placed inposition after the liquid has been lifted to the level 22. It will, ofcourse, be understood that the level l5 of the liquid within thepan-shaped part 4 is always maintained above any openings in thevertical side walls of the part 4 so that there may be no escape of airfrom between the level of the liquid and the bottom of the part 4. Afterthe level 22 has been established, the valve 2| is closed so as to holdthe liquid at the level 22. Then the valves 36 and 39 are opened so asto supply air under pressure to the jets 26 each of which jets islocated within the open bottom of an upwardly flared Venturi tube 4|,the top end of which opens upwardly through the shelf 4, whereby theeffect of the air under pressure escaping through the nozzle It causes aturbulence in the cleaning liquid above the shelf 4 and around and incontact with the parts to be cleaned supported upon the tray 9. TheVenturi effect also draws liquid from beneath the shelf 4 upwardlythrough each of the tubes 4| into the space above the shelf 4, thusproducing a circulation of cleaning liquid which will successivelypresent cleaner portions of the liquid to the parts to be cleaned andthus cleaning the' parts in a simple and effective manner withoutrequiring any moving elements as a part of the cleaning device. After apredetermined period of time, the supply of air under pressure to thejets 26 is cut off and then the exhaust valve 25 is opened so that airbeneath the shelf 4 may exhaust through the nozzle l6 and the pipe 23into the exhaust chamber 24 of the manifold and thence into theatmosphere, thus lowering the level 22 of the cleaning liquid to thelevel l5 thereof, whereupon the cleaned articles will be above theliquid level l5 and cleaning fluid on the parts will drain therefromdownwardly through the tray 9 into space below the shelf 4.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A cleaning device for cleaning substantially small parts, comprisinga tank for containing a cleaning liquid, an open-work substantiallyhorizontal shelf for the support of the parts to be cleaned, aclosed-top chamber within the tank and below the shelf and having itslower portion in connection with the interior of the tank below theshelf, means for introducing fluid pressure into the upper portion ofthe chamber and above the level of cleaning liquid therein for loweringsaid level and forcing liquid upwardly through the open-Work shelf to alevel thereabove and for permitting the escape of fluid pressure fromthe chamber to lower the level of the liquid below that of the shelf,and fluid pressure jets disposed to direct fluid pressure into liquidabove the shelf and produce turbulence therein.

2. A cleaning device for cleaning substantially small parts, comprisinga tank for containing a. cleaning liquid, an open-work substantiallyhorizontal shelf for the support of the parts to be cleaned, aclosed-top chamber within the tank and below the shelf and having itslower portion in communication with the lower portion of the tank, amanifold mounted within the tank and having an inlet for theintroduction of fluid pressure, a pipe having its discharge end withinthe upper portion of the chamber and its other end connected to themanifold and provided with a supply valve and venting means, a jetnozzle within the tank and below the shelf and disposed to direct a jetfluid under pressure upwardly through the open-work shelf, and a pipeconnecting the jet with the manifold and provided with a control valve.

3. A cleaning device for cleaning substantially small parts, comprisinga tank for containing a cleaning liquid, an open-work substantiallyhorizontal shelf for the support of the parts to be cleaned, aclosed-top chamber within the tank and below the shelf and incommunication with the lower portion of the tank, pipe means forintroducing fluid under pressure into the upper portion of the chamberfor lowering the level of a cleaning liquid therein and elevating thelevel above the shelf, the top of the chamber having an opening therein,a Venturi tube depending from the top of the chamber and around theopening therein, a jet device within the lower portion of the Venturitube, and means for introducing fluid pressure into the jet to causeturbulence in liquid above the shelf.

4. A cleaning device for cleaning substantially small parts, comprisinga tank for containing a a cleaning liquid, a closed-top chamber withinthe tank and having its lower portion in communication with the interiorof the tank, an open-work substantially horizontal shelf removablysupported upon the top of the chamber, a bracket carried by the interiorof the tank and having one end of the shelf disposed below and engagedby the bracket, a bail-shaped member hinged to the interior of the tankopposite the bracket and of a length to engage the top of the shelf andhold it down upon the top of the chamber, said bail being capableofbeing swung upwardly to release the shelf, and pipe means forintroducing fluid under pressure into the upper portion of the chamberfor lowering a liquid level therein and raising the liquid level abovethe shelf.

CHARLES B. SHANAMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 211,865 Schock Feb. 4, 18791,122,887 Engel Dec. 29, 1914 1,292,407 Spicer Jan. 21, 1919 1,335,853Myrick Apr. 6, 1920 1,771,436 Guett July 29, 1930 1,934,019 Thew Nov. 7,1933 1,983,931 Carter Dec. 11, 1934 2,076,262 Black Apr. 6, 19372,174,311 Born Sept. 26, 1939 2,218,880 Hanson Oct. 22, 1940 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 426,019 Great Britain Mar. 26, 1935 564,885Great Britain Oct. 17, 1944

